1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to intubation devices and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Intubation is the operation of inserting a tube into an animal's hollow organ or body passage to keep the organ or body passage open. One common example of intubation is endotracheal intubation, wherein a breathing tube is placed within the trachea of an animal. While endotracheal intubation will be described herein for sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the teachings herein are not limited to endotracheal intubation, but may instead be extended to other types of intubation.
The operation of endotracheal intubation may be described as follows. First, a patient's head is positioned, and mouth is opened, to allow a straight line of access from the mouth to the vocal cords (e.g., by placing a pillow under the head and neck of the patient). Second, the blade of a laryngoscope (a device which typically consists of a blade, a light source, and a handle) is introduced into the right-hand side of the patient's mouth, and the blade is used to sweep the tongue to the left. Third, the blade is advanced until the right tonsil is reached, at which point the health care provider sweeps the blade toward the midline of the patient's body—this brings the patient's epiglottis into view. Fourth, the health care provider advances the laryngoscope blade until it reaches the base of the epiglottis. Fifth, the health care provider levers the laryngoscope such that the epiglottis is moved toward the top of the patient's head such that the vocal cords of the patient come into view. Sixth, the health care provider advances the endotracheal tube through the vocal cords, until the inflatable cuff of the endotracheal tube has traversed the patient's vocal cords. Seventh, the health care provider inflates the inflatable cuff of the endotracheal tube which holds the endotracheal tube in the patient's trachea. Eighth, the health care provider secures the endotracheal tube somewhere inside the patient's mouth (typically, to the patient's upper jaw), and the operation of endotracheal intubation is considered completed.